In 2019, the Kincaid wildfire burned over 77,758 acres of land in the Sanoma County of California. During the trying times, people were evacuated and brought to an evacuation center. The Sikh community, now widely known for its philanthropic work worldwide, stepped in to help people.
In the Däniken town of Northern Switzerland, a gurudwara stands tall with a glistening yellow building that has four onion-shaped turrets. It stands out in the middle of the industrial town, which is otherwise known for the Gogsen nuclear plant. The Daniken gurudwara, a place of worship for the followers of Sikhism, was established in 2002 by a small Sikh community who came and settled in Switzerland after the religious upheaval in India.
The annual Rose Parade is viewed as an educational opportunity by local Sikhs. For the sixth year running, they've made a spectacular float to showcase their beliefs and advocate for "freedom, equality, compassion, and service."
One of the most renowned, and revered Punjabi Sufi poets of the Chisti order, Waris Shah still remains a prominent name in Punjabi literature. He is primarily known for this magnificent love tragedy ‘Heer’. In Jandiala Sher Khan, now in Pakistan, a tomb still stands tall in the city as a memoir of the eternal spirit of Waris Shah. On some days, one can hear Sain, as he was called, singing verses from Heer near the tomb. In a divinely absorbing voice, he sings
Sikhism's universal message of equality and love is being spread by people from diverse ethnicities. On Guru Nanak's 550th anniversary, an aerospace engineer who wants to open a gurdwara in Jamaica, an African-American who discovered her faith in a yoga class, and a 21-year-old baptised Christian who is now spreading the word of Sikhism through her website share their experiences about their journey towards finding the Sikh faith. Along with these, there are many instances of people from different ethnicities spreading the message of Sikhism worldwide. Let's look at what they have to say:
Nep Sidhu, the rising Scarborough art star’s solo exhibition at Mercer Union opened on February 9th, 2019, highlights the resilience of Sikh communities using large-scale textiles and metalwork. The artist says it took him three years to bring the exhibition together. The artist is intensely committed to the craft.
“You’ve never cut your hair? Not even a trim?” These are some questions that almost every Sikh must have encountered. If you are Sikh, there are positive chances that you are even nodding your head. Well, the Sikhs who have short hair are even asked how their hair is so short if they haven't had any haircut or a trim.
There was a time when people used to travel from one province to another even during the middle of the night safely. Despite the insecurity they face, the Sikh man said, “But still we love Afghanistan.”
Kansas became the 14th state in the Midwestern United States to incorporate Sikhism into its social studies curriculum. This historic decision comes nearly a week after the Indiana Board of Education approved to incorporate Sikhism as a subject in five distinct locations in Indiana state standards on March 4, 2020.
According to the most recent Federal Bureau of Investigations report of 2020, anti-Sikh violence in the United States has increased by 200 %